


Friendly Fire

by SyoshoHiataki



Series: Fire in my Soul [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Bucky trains the kids, Gen, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Tony Stark, Peter is a little shit but we love him, School Fight, dad bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-17 14:43:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16097777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyoshoHiataki/pseuds/SyoshoHiataki
Summary: To which Peter, MJ and Ned take to the training and go forth into the school wide fight: Ninjas vs Assassins. Who will win?





	1. Target Acquired

**Author's Note:**

> So this came from one of my chapters in Glitter and Gold. This is now it's own story. I hope you guys will enjoy this.

Peter could practically feel himself vibrating out of his skin as he sat between MJ and Ned in the gym of his school. They had been preparing for this day for a little over a month now and were now just waiting to see how exactly the rules were going to play in their favor. Ned had taken to James’s training like a duck to water. MJ had been taken under Valkyrie and that was something the entire Compound was now terrified over. Toni laughed when word got out and had to keep the rest of the Compound from fleeing in fear. Peter had fine tuned his already enhanced skills and abilities, Thor helping him out very much in that department when James wasn’t.

Ned gave him a look before dissolving into a fit of giggles that lasted until MJ firmly shoved her elbow into his side. Peter rolled his eyes and focused on the teachers setting up the last bit of the assembly. The official rules had been made into a pdf file that got sent out to the students and this was the teachers and staff going over it and the official start of the game. It was easy enough to see that the school was trying to do this as a way to “healthy” cope with the increasing bullying problem. What the school failed to realize was this was what the students were hoping for, a chance to fight their rivals and bullies. Granted it was still controlled but, the student body was ready for it. Alliances were made in secret, information traded, friendships on the line. Peter grinned, feeling excitement thrum in his chest. A few rows down, Flash Thompson turned around to glare at him. The trio of friends caught his gaze and stared back down, doing what both James and Toni taught them. 

 

The bully’s glare wavered before he turned back to the teachers, who finally finished up and were about to begin their presentation. Ned chuckled rather darkly from next to Peter, causing the spiderling to cough to cover up his own laugh. MJ merely rolled her eyes and whispered out, “Pathetic.”

They got settled in, watching with rapt attention as their principal began to speak.

“Hello everyone! I am happy to announce our first ever school wide Ninjas vs Assassins game!”

That got the students to cheer. Peter leaned back in his seat, trying not to feel smug about how this was going to turn out.

Their head of school continued on with his speech. “Now I know all of you received a copy of the rule book but we are going to go over some major points.”

He was handed a paper copy and cleared his throat. “There will be paper copies available in Student Services as well as the Guidance Office. With that said,” he flipped the pages and gained a serious look, “All of you have had your parents and guardians sign the waiver so they are aware that certain things will not be allowed in the game.”

That made them all go quiet and focus a bit more on the man. “So, first thing’s first. No water guns allowed.”

That got a wave of groans. He continued on as if that didn’t happen. “We have to keep it fair. Now, the other main rules are as follows:

The bathrooms are a safe zone. No taking out your opponent in the middle of class. Outside of school and in the hallways are free. After school activities are as well as long as they don’t disrupt said activities. Once you have taken your target out, you must report it to the online system we have set up. Please make sure you have either the number programed into your phone or the website. You must have visual proof that your target was taken out of the game. A picture with your mark or witnesses to the time of the removal of the game. You must use water based or things that are easily washed off. Extra paint will be available outside of the Art Hall.”

He looked up and placed the booklet on the little table standing next to him. “You will receive your target at the end of the hour. It is completely randomized so no one gets the same person. Once you are taken out, you are out of the game. No buy ins or trade ins. Once you are out you are done. That is final. If you are caught breaking this rule you will have consequences.”

The students were quiet as this sunk in. The Trio traded looks and nods. The principal continued on but they didn’t pay attention. He was going on about minor rules that James Barnes went over with a fine tooth comb because he stated to the three of them that he wanted to make sure they went as far as the final 10 if they could. Peter tightened his hand into a fist. He felt something settle in his gut and he knew, he would make those back at the Compound proud. The students were released with a “Have fun!”

Peter looked down to where Flash was standing, the two of them glaring at each other. It was enough to make Peter swear right then and there, he was going to make sure he beat his former bully in this game. No matter what.

~~

Peter gripped his phone in his hand, making sure to not break it. He watched the room around him and saw other students taking out their phones. Their teacher didn’t seem to care, she was more focused on writing down their homework on the board. Peter nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone buzzed. All of the other students scrambled to unlock their own buzzing phones. They all shared the same look, pure unadulterated joy. They all got their targets. Peter unlocked his phone with a slight tremor in his hands. He opened his messaging app and read over his target’s name. A slow grin threatened to split his face. Ned leaned over from his desk, confusion on his face. Peter turned the phone to him, his grin having a slightly crazed look to it. Ned read over the text and coughed to cover his laugh.

Peter pulled the phone back to him and the spiderling locked the screen before collecting his things. The text flashed through his head and it made him smile.

_Target: Eugene “Flash” Thompson - Grade 10 ___

__The brunet stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, Ned chuckling behind him as they filed out of the classroom…._ _


	2. Plans Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which plotting and information gathering happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it is finally starting to get good. Keep an eye on the lot

Peter stood in the hallway next to Ned, watching the rest of their classmates as MJ rummaged in her locker for their nerf guns that they custom rebuilt over the month. She wordlessly handed Ned a small briefcase and a belt of nerf bullets with blue paint capped on the end. He slung the belt around his head so it hung off of him from the shoulder. He clipped the briefcase to the belt and took the next set of wrist launchers from MJ to pass to Peter. The spiderling nodded in thanks and quickly hooked them up. They were of similar style to his web launchers but with just enough difference so no one could connect the dots to his superhero persona. MJ herself pulled out what appeared to be a regular long range nerf gun but it had what looked like a sleeker barrel. On top of that the clip looked like it held more ammo than a normal nerf gun. The finished setting themselves up, watching as the rest of their classmates hurried to do the same. It was final prep time for them, since the game didn’t officially begin until the final bell rang and they had roughly one class period left. Enough time to sort out alliances and gather supplies. NJ closed her locker with a snap and finished checking over her ammo.

“So, what plan are we starting with?” she asked the boys, pulling out her phone.

Ned tugged on the belt that was slung around his torso, eyeing the other students. “Well, Peter has the Golden Apple, so I suggest we go with Plan 45-B.”

MJ stopped in her tracks, whirling on her heel to look at the enhanced teen. “No fucking way.”

He pulled out his phone to show her, which she grinned at. “Oh that sounds like fun. Who is your target Ned?”

The huskier teen shrugged. “Some kid named Kira McCall. Never heard of him but he is a senior. I’m doing an info scrub on him right now.”

The other two nodded. MJ pulled out her phone as they continued on to their final class of the day, ignoring the other students as they gathered their own weapons. “I have someone named Marianne King. Junior. Might as well start a info scrub as well.”

She began playing on her phone, opening the app that Toni Stark had easily created to do a data gather on their targets using social media and the school’s info. Tricky little thing but it would play in their favor as the game went on. The three of them watched from the corner of their eyes as they made their way to History, all but daring someone to break the rule of starting early. Seemed no one was going to take that risk, thankfully and they made their way into the classroom. Their teacher didn’t even look up from her desk as the first bell for class started.

“I’m not even going to bother trying to teach you lot today. I already know that you are distracted to hell over this game. As long as you lot follow the rules and don’t disrupt each other I don’t care.” she said, going over past homework.

The students began talking to each other, seeming to be innocent in their discussions when they all knew, information was being traded on top of plotting. Ned and MJ pulled out their phones to see their information had been delivered and pulled up a spare app that Toni had made just for the three of them. It was synced to all of their own separate apps on their phones, which displayed all of the plans they had made in their down time in training with James. He was making sure the three of them made it to the final 10, if not the top three. Peter pulled his up as well and clicked on the plan 45-B. He watched as the little app showed the blueprints for the best route through the vents to get to the gym.

Flash Thompson was no longer allowed to be a member of the academic decathlon team what with the apparent bullying. So he went to join the school’s track team and it turned out he was quite okay with that. Peter scrolled through the blueprints, eyeing the best route and how to get to his target as said teen would cut through the gym to get outside to the track from the locker rooms. Ned made a noise that made his two friends look at him.

“So, got the information back about my guy. Senior. On the lacrosse team. Didn’t know we had one of those. Fast on his feet but rather clumsy.” he read off from his information, skipping the unimportant details. Seriously, he did not need to know that this McCall guy was in a long distance relationship. It would not benefit Ned in this fight.

Peter frowned. “So since he does sports he will no doubt be waiting for something to happen on his way to or from lacrosse practice.”

MJ tapped her pencil end on her chin. “Does he have a job? You can get him on the way to or from said job?”

Ned shook his head, scrolling through the information. “I don’t want to get him in trouble with his job. It’s a small one but still, I would like to avoid it where I can. I could go with Plan 124-C.”

The spiderling hummed, “True. Get him before school is something he would not expect.”

The heavier set of the three nodded. “Apparently he likes to hit up a local coffee shop on the way to school. I can get him on his way to get caffeine. He won’t know what hit him.”

They nodded and MJ showed them her info. “Marianne King. Junior. She is part of the fencing club so close combat is out. I only have a month under Valkyrie while this girl has been fencing since elementary school.”

Peter winced, brushing his brown hair out of his eyes. “Okay. So long distance. Aside from fencing what else does she do?”

“Part of the Earth Club and Gardening Club. I am going to hit her as soon as we get out. No sense in wasting my time since her fencing club takes up most of her time.”

The two boys shrugged. “Fair enough.” said Ned as he clicked through the Plans. The three of them had it and waited until the final bell rang out and announced the Start of Hell…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I added misc fandom references in this chapter and I hope you lot noticed a couple. Here they are below:
> 
> Kira McCall - Teen Wolf reference. I mixed it up a bit. Kira from of course Kira Yukimora and McCall from Scott McCall.
> 
> Marianne King - Strange Magic. One of my fucking favorite movies. And not just because it is about fairies but because it is cute as hell and lovable characters.
> 
> Ned's Nerf Gun - RWBY Weapon. It's Coco Adel's weapon. I fucking love that damn thing and I am adding a link for you guys to see wtf I am talking about
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQiNfxH6E8w
> 
> Trust me, this is worth it. STG


	3. Ready, Aim, Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Targets were named and now taken down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am just flying through this fic because it is so easy and fun to write. I hope I get to slow it down a bit? Oh who am I kidding. I will write till I die. Or the words stop. Which ever comes first.

Peter watched as his friends left the hallway, making their way to MJ’s target. He couldn’t help but grin as he entered the bathroom. He pulled out his phone to make sure that the vent he needed was in this particular restroom because if not then he would have to trek across the school to the math hall restroom and like hell he was doing that. Thankfully his information was correct. Moving quickly, he locked and webbed his backpack to one of the stall doors and locked it from the inside. With that in place, Peter jumped up the wall to the vent opening on the ceiling. Knowing he had but minutes to get in, Peter quickly busted out the lock pick set and unscrewed the vent grate and slid inside. He tried not to sneeze and cough with the amount of dust he disrupted but managed to do it.

The brunet wiggled his way down the vent, stopping every now and then to look at the map he had on his phone. Using his skills and time crawling around the walls and roofs of New York, the spiderling moved through the vents and trying not to jolt them too much. He moved quickly and managed to get to the main vents that were in the ceiling of the gym and he set up shop by making a web to lay on at the bottom of one of the vent facing the boys locker room. With that done, the teen checked the cartridges of his nerf shooters and double checking to make sure that they did not jam up. That was something all of the teens had been drilled in by the former Winter Soldier. There was no way in hell they would have below grade equipment for this.

Peter was brought out of his focus at the sound of a locker room door opening. Shifting and cracking open the vent grate, he watched as a group of boys come from the locker room, his target in the center of them. Seemed that they were travelling in groups to help confuse other potential assassins. Peter chuckled and brought his arm up to take aim. Once again thanking on his time spent as a superhero, his aim with his wrist shooters were much better than MJ or Ned’s aim with anything. Peter lined up his shot to Flash’s forehead. He slowed his breathing and watched as Flash moved closer, keeping others in front and behind him. A smirk came from the spider powered teen and he whispered, “You should keep an eye on the sky.” 

With that, he pressed his wrist forward and a pellet of red paint came flying out of the vent. It hit dead center on Flash’s forehead with a wet noise and a scream. Flash fell backwards from the moment and hit the floor of the gym with a solid thunk. Peter didn’t even watch the chaos forming under him, for he quickly destroyed the web he was sitting on and hauled his scrawny ass back to the bathroom to make sure that his bag was still there. 

He hurried and as he was crawling as fast as he could, he pulled up the text app and sent off:

_Target eliminated. Taken down at 4:05 pm, Gym Floor. Witnesses are fellow track teammates._

He hit send as he dropped down from the ceiling into the empty bathroom. The hero scrambled under the stall, ripped his bag off the door and dusted himself off, making sure nothing remained as he washed his hands. Once done, he felt his phone buzz. As he exited the bathroom, he opened the text.

_Confirmed. Target eliminated. New target will be assigned to you within 24 hours. Have a good day._

Smirking, Peter Parker left the bathroom and kept an eye out for whoever had his name…

~~~

MJ groaned as she heaved herself up onto the branch of the tree that was the farthest from the school’s main doors. She was ready for her target to leave the building, as said target’s ride was out front. MJ missed her going to her Earth Club meeting due to locations of their final class but the young girl was working around that. She was thankful that the Bucky Barnes took over her sniping training, making sure the girl could hit a target from over 200 yards. MJ set up shop in the tree, pulling out said gun and loading it up. She opened her scope up and leaned back against the tree. She knew that someone had her name out there and was waiting for them too. For one of the rules stated that if you took out your assassin then it counted and you still had to do your original target. A snicker came from the girl. She dared anyone to come after her now. She wanted to make sure this training did not go to waste on something as sleazy as getting knocked out in the first day.

MJ straightened when the front doors to the school to reveal her target coming out, two other students walking beside her. MJ grinned and lined up her shot. She was sitting in a tree at a 45 degree angle from the school and it appeared Marianne King was expecting either a frontal assault or one from behind. Mj tsked under her breath.

“Poor girl. You really should have thought ahead.” With that, MJ pulled the trigger, pulling the gun up as her white paint splattered across Marianne’s face from the side. Screams erupted as MJ pulled out her phone to take a video of the mayhem being wrought on the front of the school.

_Target eliminated. Proof being sent. Thanks._

MJ began packing up as the chaos seemed to finally calm down. As her feet hit the solid ground under her, her phone buzzed. She didn’t need to open it to know that her kill got confirmed. MJ began whistling as she made her way to the rendezvous, fully aware of the one following her. She brought her weapon to her front and made sure it was loaded. She took another few steps and rounded the corner to the parking lot. She dove behind a car at the sound of hurrying footsteps and she pressed her back to the car. Leaning up, the girl used the car’s mirrors to take a look at her opponent and saw that it was some random freshmen she had seen in the hallways. She double checked that her weapon was cocked and loaded before she got on her toes and snuck around the back of the car. The poor freshmen stood there, looking around trying to figure out which direction MJ went.

Said girl stood up and lined up her shot. The poor kid flinched as wet paint sprayed against the back of his head. He fell forward but managed to stay on his feet. He turned around, holding his arms up in the universal sign of defeat. A disappointed look was on his face.

“Come on man. I didn’t even make it an hour.” he said.

MJ shrugged, taking out her phone. “Not my problem. Now,” she clicked record on the video, “do me a favor and turn around. I am making sure you are out.”

The freshmen sighed and did a turnabout, grumbling the whole time.”

MJ sent the video off with a cheeky grin. “Well, that was fun but next time, don’t jump the gun okay?”

And with that, she made her way to where James Barnes was waiting to take them back to the Compound where they would be staying for the duration of the game. Hey, nothing in the rule book said that they couldn’t stay elsewhere during said game…

~~~~

Ned sighed as he leaned against the truck bed. His target would be approaching his location within the next few minutes and the husky teen could feel the grey eyes of his mentor from the cab of the truck. He was the last one to get a confirmed kill but that wasn’t what bothered him. What was bothering him was the fact that he didn’t know if he could be fast enough to take down his target before said target got him. Ned shook his head. He had some of the best training on top of a weapon that he designed and made sure worked to the point that the WINTER SOLDIER wanted one to be made into a real gun that he could use on missions.

Ned was snapped from his thoughts by the rap of a metal hand on the truck windows. Ned sat up and saw that his target was walking up with some of his buddies, hands encasing different colored coffee cups. Popping his neck, Ned heaved himself up and held on to the side of the truck as he stood. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

They group of seniors froze and one began to reach for his waist, a lone nerf gun sitting on his belt. Ned called out, “Sorry guys. Nothing personal.”

He pulled his briefcase forward and quick movements, it slid from it’s harmless form into that of a gatling gun. He watched as eyes went wide and coffees were dropped as the seniors scrambled for their weapons. The one who had his hand on his own gun had to tug it loose which cost him those few precious seconds. Ned balanced himself and pulled the trigger. Paint filled foam bullets flew from the gatling gun with a speed none of the seniors were prepared for. His target was the first one down and then his friends followed suit as they were mowed down by a good wave of blue paint. Ned let got of the trigger after a few seconds, letting the gun fold back into its briefcase mode. He slammed his fist on the back of the truck cab and with a squeal of rubber, James Barnes roared them out of there. Ned slid down to sit in the bed and began to laugh. He pulled out his phone and sent off his text.

_Target eliminated. Other casualties occurred. They are witnesses._

He pressed his back to the metal of the truck, not even bothering with wiping the grin off of his face as his mentor drove him to school…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, Coco's fucking case is a beauty. Fear it. And this legit happened. I had known how I was going to have Peter take down Flash for a while. This was just the intro to the fights that are going to happen guys. watch out.


	4. If You Want Blood, You Got It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The war has begun and people better fucking run

The Trio walked together down the hall to their next class, just talking and seeming as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Chaos was going on around them and they didn’t care, for the most part. They acted as if they really didn’t care, to catch their so called assassins off guard. Act a certain way will make people behave in the way you want them to. That was one of the first lessons James had taught them in their training. Peter cocked his head and tapped on Ned’s hand in a certain pattern. His best friend shifted his weight to make it seem that he was moving his bag to an easier spot when he was making sure his case was right behind the messenger bag. MJ picked up on what Peter was not saying. She shifted her own weight as well, sliding her rifle to her side.

They continued on, straightening their postures when all of a sudden Peter felt his spider sense go nuts. He shouted, “DOWN!”

And as he fell, he turned his body and locked his eyes on the student firing her paintball gun at them. He reacted on instinct at that point and launched three paint pellets at her. They all hit her in the chest in rapid succession. He heard screams and the noise of Ned’s beloved gun going off as well as one of MJ’s. He was still crouched in his favorite position in battle and spoke over his shoulder. “You guys still alive?”

Ned piped up, “Yeah. I’m good.”

MJ was quiet prompting the boys to turn around, fear in their gut. She was sitting on the ground, one leg up to stable her rifle that was pointed to the classroom next to them. The two boys turned their head to see standing in the doorway of said classroom was a senior with white paint dripping down his chest. Above MJ’s head, the lockers were covered in black paint. The senior stared at her and whispered, “What the fuck.”

Ned clicked the release on his gun and it shifted back to its case form, ignoring the dead silent of his own massacre behind him. He went and helped MJ up off the floor while Peter stood. They all got out their phones and snapped quick pictures of their would be assassins. The girl Peter took out threw her gun on the ground before storming up to the senior. She pointed her finger to his chest. “You said they would be easy to take down! What the hell!?”

Mj smirked at them. “Really? Us?”

Ned laughed as they easily continued on to their class, sending off the text. “Come on guys, we know we look innocent but really.”

Peter shrugged as his phone buzzed confirming the hit and giving him a new target. “Give them a break guys. Besides,” here he chucked a smirk over his shoulder to the shell shocked teens, “we can’t let Mr. Barnes down.”

The Trio laughed as they went to class….

~~~

MJ popped her neck as she hopped down from the top of the lockers, her target laying in shock and in paint on the floor down the hallway. Her girlfriend freaking out how she was taken down. MJ whistled as she confirmed her kill…

~~~

Ned let out a sigh as the barrel of his gun finally slowed down. In front of his was both his target and assassin, who teamed up in an attempt to get him out of the game. The teen sighed again and pulled out his phone. “Sorry guys. But you should have known better by now.”

His target grumbled, “Dude, you and your little friends are the top targets now. What did you expect?”

That caused the sophomore to shrug. “Not my problem.”

His gun shifted once more as he walked away. He stopped, cocked his head to the side before diving to the side. A splatter of paint hit the ground here he had stood. As he rolled, Ned grabbed his case and let it unfold once more. That was another rule he had been taught. Lose your weapon and you lose your advantage in a fight. Ned let loose a wave of paint at the tree line, where the shot game from. A scream happened before a body fell out of one of the trees. A small girl groaned from the ground. She held up her middle finger as she sat up, blue paint dripping from her form.

“How in the FUCK?!” she cursed at him, giving him a glare that would have made him flinch in the past.

Ned stood tall and grinned at her. “Practice babe.”

The girl cursed at him again as he got that sweet confirmation.

~~~

Peter stretched, easily reaching his toes. It was gym class aka the only free for all class in the game and the one he didn’t share with Ned or MJ. Not anymore due to new scheduling with Flash. The spiderling felt eyes on him but he continued his stretching, knowing someone was watching him. As he came up from touching his toes, he slipped the rubber knife that had a casing of paint on it from his gym shorts and kept it hidden against his forearm. He stood and began to stretch his arms over his chest. It did not take long for a hand to clasp on his shoulder. He moved, ducking under the arm swiping at him. He twirled the paint knife in his hand and slashed out. The other body moved, backing up to stay away from it. 

The older teen stood, narrowing his eyes at the spiderling. Peter scowled and moved forward, planting his feet to make it seem like he was going to stab the junior he was now fighting. The junior blocked his movements easily. That made the hero frown more and focused. He dropped the knife and caught it in his other hand before moving again. The move caught the junior off guard and he brought his knee up in an attempt to block the fake knife. Paint smeared across his leg, but it wasn’t a technical killing move. Peter tsked and quickly moved forward, the blade tight against his forearm as he moved to punch the other teen. The junior dodged the fist but was not expecting the paint covered blade to slide against his neck.

He fell back and pressed his hand against the red paint. Peter stood there and flipped the knife in his hand. The junior glared at him. “Who the hell are you?!”

Peter shrugged and let the knife slip back into the hidden pocket Toni had sewn in all of their clothes. “Just an intern at Stark Industries.”

The junior’s jaw dropped as Peter went back to do his stretches…

~~~

Within a week, Peter and his friends had taken down any and all opponents that went up against them. To date, Ned had the most kills due to his gatling gun being such a monster that even though the news about it spread, no one was ready for it. MJ had the most ruthless “kills” and that was because most of her assassins were male and thus, underestimated her. Peter had the most creative out of the group, using his spider abilities to crawl on walls and the ceiling to get some pretty impressive shots. No one was able to get them. Granted, Ned and MJ had some close calls but thanks to their continuous training at the Compound, they were doing rather well. Valkyrie wanted to adopt MJ after a while, stating that for a Midgardian the teen was taking to this training like a natural.

James was really putting his foot down on the teens and Ned felt it. He had lost 10 pounds since starting training and could actually feel himself getting into shape. Peter was given the ride of his life under the tutelage of both Thor and Toni as they told him he wouldn’t always have his suit and this was good practice for that. The three of them became their own legend as they had effectively taken down a good quarter of the student body together. In their class alone, they were in the top 100 students and in the top 300 overall. And they still had to continue on until the top 10 happened.

Peter leaned back in his seat, eyeing the rest of his classmates in physics. Ned sat next to him, smirking as glares from certain students were shot their way. Their teacher simply rolled his eyes and went back to teaching. Things were beginning to heat up as pressure began to build on those still left in the game…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some of my own experiences in my own Senior Watergun Fight years ago and well, most of MJ is how I survived my own fight.


	5. The Devil In Our Wake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this...this was hard to write guys. Like, I had to do some serious soul searching but this is it. No more.. It was fun to write and I am glad you lot loved it!

Ned stared at his phone. Horror crept up his spine at the new target he was given and it was enough to make his stomach contract in horrible ways. Behind him, MJ and Peter were laughing at the shenanigans of their teachers, and it made Ned want to just hit the floor in a dead faint.

“Hey Ned! You okay?” Peter called.

Ned whirled around and hid his phone behind his back. “Yeah! Yeah I’m cool. Hey, I am going to run to get some water. You guys want some?”

As he talked to his friends, the lone text shone from the phone.

_New Target: Michelle Jones Watson, Grade 10 ___

__~~~~_ _

__They were walking up the steps to school, eyeing what could be new threats and it was then, Ned knew he had to take out MJ. He had roughly 48 hours left but he felt like he was betraying her but at the same time, he knew that she would prefer him than some rando in the hallway. Instead of busting out his normal (and favorite) gun, he reached behind him and pulled out a small knife, the same kind Peter carries around for this game. Peter was ahead of MJ, rushing to open the door for his friends. They didn’t suspect a thing and Ned felt horrible for this._ _

__Guilt bubbling in his bones, Ned came up behind NJ and sighed. MJ heard and went to turn her head to look at her friend when she felt something touch her back and then her shirt felt wet. She froze and looked over her shoulder. In Ned’s hand was one of the fake knives that James made for them (Well, he designed it. Toni built them) and the end that released the paint was pressed up against her back. She stared at it for a hot second before casting her most murderous death glare to the other teen._ _

__He pulled out his phone and showed the text he had received the day prior. “Sorry MJ. You were my target. I didn’t want to.”_ _

__Peter came rushing over and gulped. MJ simply let out a huff of air, “Well, I guess that’s okay.” she gave him a small smile, “Mr. Barnes is going to be proud of how you pulled that off not going to lie.”_ _

__That got a shy grin from Ned. “Really?”_ _

__MJ nodded and held her bag to the spiderling on her right. “Yeah. I am too. Now, if you do not mind, I am going to go change.”_ _

__She tugged a spare shirt out of her bag and left Peter holding it as she proudly made her way to the bathroom. Shocked looks were sent her way as she did. By the end of the day, the word had spread. The Trio was now down by one…_ _

__~~~~_ _

__It was a good night for one Ned Leeds. He had a date with one of the other interns at Stark Industries and was on his way home from it. Granted, he still felt bad over the thing with MJ but she told him no hard feelings. Ned sighed as he made his was down the street to his apartment, feeling like he was on cloud nine when something in his gut made his slow down his pace. The street was decently busy for New York. It did not take Ned long to feel like someone was watching him. He took a few more steps before ducking into an alleyway. He heard the tell tale sign of something wet hitting the concrete behind him. He didn’t dare turn around because another one hit the wall behind him. Ned ran, already feeling like death since he and running would never be friends. It did not take long for him to duck into a little store, gasping for air._ _

__He shot a look outside and didn’t see anything that made him want to panic but he knew what it was. Peter was his assassin and the stakes just got raised. Ned pulled out his phone and quickly made a route to his apartment. A new emotion settled within his gut as he saw that he still had several blocks to go until he was in the safe zone. Ned casted his brown eyes out the window and dread settled in his gut. The streets of New York was Peter’s ground and that means, if Ned went out there right now, he was walking to his death. With the exception of Flash and a few others, Peter’s targets had been taken out in the streets. The streets he knew better than any New Yorker._ _

__Ned let out a sigh, knowing he had to do something. He closed maps and scrolled to his best friend’s number. He called it and held the phone up to his ear, looking out the windows._ _

___“Hey buddy of mine! How goes it?”_ _ _

__Ned scowled, “I know what’s going on Pete. Don’t lie to me. Not right now.”_ _

__That got a sigh in response. _“I am sorry man.”__ _

__Ned cut through the bullshit very quick. “When?”_ _

___“This morning. Trust me, if there was any other way I would but I am going to win this. I gotta make Ms. Stark proud.”_ _ _

__The huskier teen snorted, “Yeah and I am not going to let Mr. Barnes down. Guess we are at an impasse on this buddy.”_ _

__Peter laughed through the phone. _“You know what’s going to happen as soon as you leave the store right?”__ _

__Ned’s brown eyes widened and looked up through the window. He could faintly see a figure standing on the roof across the street. The figure waved, confirming Ned’s thought. “Look man, you gotta go on patrol soon. You can’t play cat and mouse with me for long.”_ _

__Ned heard a snap of fingers through the phone speaker. _“Oh darn. I wonder what will happen if I already did my patrol early and did my nightly quota of crime fighting early?”__ _

__Ned responded by flipping the bird, causing his best friend to laugh. The brown haired teen backed away from the windows and hung up. He went up to the counter and asked the bored cashier, “Is there anyway I can sneak out through the back?”_ _

__The girl looked confused, “Why?”_ _

__Wanting to strangle the gods with his own hands, Ned pulled out his patented puppy dog eyes. “Please? Hell you can even walk me out. I just can’t go through the front.”_ _

__The girl gave him a look before groaning. “Fine. I will walk you out. I gotta get stuff from back there anyways. Come on kid.”_ _

__Ned wanted to fist pump the air but did not. He was also thankful that the counter wasn’t in view of the front of the store. The girl walked him to the back and let him out through the back door. Right before she closed it, she said, “I will tell whoever is following you that you went to the bathroom. I got you kid.”_ _

__Ned blinked and grinned at her. He mouthed thank you before beginning to run to his apartment. That rouse wouldn’t hold Peter for long and he knew that he only had a few minutes before the Spider-man caught on. He ran and he even jaywalked a couple of times to make sure he didn’t stop. He saw his apartment building and nearly cried in joy at the sight of the building. As soon as he got on the bottom step leading to the complex, Ned felt something in his gut. He quickly dove for the top of the stairs, hearing a wet splat behind him. He scrambled for the door and got it open. He ran for the elevators and dove for the first one that opened. Ned pressed himself into the farthest corner and tried to get air in his lungs._ _

__Ned wanted to desperately call Mr. Barnes to get some form of advice but he didn’t want to rely on the man for this. Ned let in another wave of air and steeled his spine. He quickly pulled up the rules pdf on his phone and had to grin. While the rules stated that no one could be taken out in their own place of living, nothing said that said student couldn’t fight back from said place of living._ _

__Ned nearly dropped his phone when it began ringing. He answered it and had to keep his breath normal. “Hey man what’s up?”_ _

__

___“Very cute Ned. I saw you duck into your apartment.”_ _ _

__Ned got off on his floor and walked to his door. “Oh did I?”_ _

__The Spider-man growled. _“You got lucky.”__ _

__Ned got into his apartment and waved at his dad. The man nodded and pointed to the pot he was using on the stove. His son nodded in response before making his way to his room. “Got lucky did I? Well maybe your aim was off Parker.”_ _

__Ned entered his room and quickly grabbed the long rifle he had as a spare in his room before making his way to the window. He made sure to keep the paint gun out of sight from the window and peered out through the blinds. Across the street stood Peter on the rooftop. Ned knew he had to irritate his friend for Peter liked to pace when annoyed so Ned could slip the window open without gaining attention. So, Ned did what he did best. And that was run his mouth._ _

__“Like, Pete I am not going to lie, you seriously missed me. I thought you were getting better at aiming?”_ _

__Ned watched as the figure across the roofs began to pace. Bingo. Ned slid the window open as quiet as he could. With fast movements he pulled the rifle up and took aim. Peter began to speak, his form stopping._ _

___“Look, I am better at hand to hand you know-”_ _ _

__

__His rant was cut off, mostly due to the splatter of paint that hit him. Ned pulled the rifle back down and grinned, listening to the stream of curses come from his best friend._ _

__“Yeah and Mr. Barnes stated you needed to be aware of your surroundings you nerd. Nice try Parker.”_ _

__Ned went and sagged against his bookshelf and let out a hysterical laugh. He had done it. Out of all three of them, Ned survived. Another laugh bubbled out of his chest as well as tears. On the phone, Peter was still cursing up a storm…._ _

__~~~_ _

__It was another week before Ned got taken out from a paint grenade on his way to the bathroom. He wasn’t expecting it but he took it like a man…._ _

__The End_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end. I am glad you lot went on this journey with me. It was fun to write and I loved it. Thank you lot for the kudos and the comments. May you lot continue on and be proud!!

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins.


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